Hip #110, a colt by Harlan's Holiday, was one of two 2yos to bring $135,000.Photo:
Dustin Orona Photography

The sale of three six-figure horses boosted total revenue at the Fasig-Tipton Texas sale of 2-year-olds and horses of racing age April 1, but the 4.3% uptick in sales was offset by declines in average and median prices and a rise in the RNA rate.

Fasig-Tipton reported 80 horses were sold at the single-day auction at Lone Star Park for total receipts of $1,818,700, a 4.3% increase from the 2013 sale when 74 horses brought $1,743,750. The median price dropped 25% to $15,000, compared with $20,000 last year, and average price was also in negative territory, down 3.5% to $22,734.

The number of horses that failed to meet their reserve prices and thus going unsold rose from 30.2% in 2013 to 35.5%.

Tim Boyce, director of sales for Fasig-Tipton Texas, said this year's figures in the key statistical categories represent a market adjustment after last year's sale figures spiked upward: In 2013, total receipts rose 10.7%, up from the 2012 figure of $1,575,100 while average was up 19.7% from $19,689 in 2102 to $23,564, and last year's median of $20,000 rose 42.9% from $14,000.

"It's a pretty healthy marketplace after we went up quite a bit last year," Boyce said of this year's sale. "I think the consignors were pretty much all happy and satisfied with the marketplace. (The sale) went up last year quite a bit and then was able to somewhat maintain that spike this year."

The sale's three highest-priced horses came toward the end of this year's sale, which Boyce said was unfortunate for the horses offered earlier in the day.

"Our sale was pretty end-loaded," he said "It's just kind of cool early with all the heat at the back of the sale. After the sale I was like I wish I could have started with the back horse and gone forward. Given all that, it was a good sale in that we had a lot of action on a lot of different horses."

Boyce added that with a number of private sales after the final horse through the ring, there probably was not much of an increase in the buy-back rate.

"With the private sales we probably didn't have as much of an increase," he said. "It was only a blip anyway. I would say that the 5% (difference from last year) just got met with the private sales."

Topping the day's trading at $135,000 each were a Kentucky-bred colt by Harlan's Holiday, offered by Wolf Creek Farm, agent, and a Louisiana-bred filly by Munnings, who sold out of Bethe Deal's Inside Move, agent, consignment.

The son of Harlan's Holiday, bought by Dennis Foster, was one of two horses to post the fastest time of :10 1/5 for one furlong at the March 30 under-tack show.

Bred by Claiborne Farm, the bay colt is the first foal out of the placed Smart Strike mare Smart Music, a half sister to grade I winner and sire Include and four other stakes winners. He was a $25,000 purchase by David Rodawalt from the Claiborne consignment at the 2013 Keeneland September yearling sale.

The daughter of Munnings clocked an eighth of a mile in :10 4/5 at the under-tack show and sold to Louisiana horseman Carrol Castille.

Bred by Summer Grove Farm and Terry Gabriel, the bay filly is out of the winning Cobra King mare Viva Vega, a full sister to multiple stakes winner Follow Me Home. Viva Vega has produced four winners, including stakes winner Southern Dude, by Lion Tamer, and is from the family of Louisiana-bred star Hallowed Dreams, who won 16 consecutive races in 1999 and 2000.

Consignor Inside Move enjoyed a nice pinhooking profit after buying the filly for $15,000 as a short yearling at the 2013 Ocala Breeders' Sale Co. winter mixed sale.

Inside Move also sold the day's other six-figure horse, a Louisiana-bred filly by Pomeroy who was bought for $100,000 by Charles A. Castille Jr.

A $47,000 purchase by Inside Move at the 2013 OBS August yearling sale, the gray/roan filly clocked a furlong in :10 2/5 at the March 30 under-tack show. Jay Adcock and Lon Baronne bred her out of grade III winner Theresa's Tizzy, a Cee's Tizzy mare who also produced grade III winner Got the Last Laugh, by Distorted Humor, and stakes winner Puddifoot, by Red Giant.

Inside Moves also consigned a Kentucky-bred Distorted Humor half brother to grade I winner Great Hunter who RNA’d on a final bid of $85,000 early in the day but was later sold privately for $75,000, Boyce said.